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Thijs Wolzak (1965)

Thijs Wolzak (1965) has been working on an ever-expanding oeuvre since 1988, both commissioned and in independent projects. He proclaims to utilize all means at his disposal to meticulously control his images from top left to bottom right, but his approach is fundamentally documentary. His visuals encapsulate encounters: with a person, a place, or an object. They are typically intricate narrations, with a strong emphasis on the context of the subject at hand. Wolzak perfectly aligns with the school of staged documentary photography.

So, ‘encounters’. Every time, he would spend hours at their homes, trying to find the right angle. The interiors didn’t really interest him, he once said in an interview. It doesn’t matter to him how he lives himself: ‘I don’t need a certain environment to feel comfortable.’ During many photoshoots, he would often be left speechless when he saw how far people go in constructing their own space. What is astonishing or absurd to most viewers is completely natural to these residents. Their choices are the only logical ones for them.

With the exhibition on interiors and the encounters a magnificent has been published whichis now available at www.ftn-books.com

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Guus van Eck (1958)

The artist known as Guus van Eck, born in 1958, honed his craft at the renowned Kunstacademie in Maastricht and the esteemed Jan van Eyck Academie. Upon completing his studies, he departed from his native Netherlands and relocated to Italy. Van Eck boasts a distinctive and unconventional style of painting, characterized by openness, clarity, and vivid colors, with subtle yet intimate details sprinkled throughout. The exuberant scenes he creates never fail to capture one’s attention, with new movements, elements, and surprises waiting to be uncovered.

www.ftn-books.com has now the KIJK!Look! book available.

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Stef Kreymborg (1953)

As a human writer, I delve into the intricacies, possibilities, and dynamics of masses and individuals. I shape this process by creating collections through individual elements, guided by rhythm, structure, and organization. The laws of nature, that wondrous fusion of order and infinite variation, serve as a great inspiration in all my works. From patterns in a sliced red cabbage, to the stripes of a zebra, to pomegranate seeds, to cloud formations, to a honeycomb, to sand ripples, to crystals, to a school of fish, to garden peas, to seashells on the beach, to birch forests, to flocks of birds, to leaves, all continue to emotionally move and captivate me.

Even people provide numerous inspiring collections: Tile floors, displayed fish in the market, full bookshelves, brick walls, stacks of linens, piled up vegetables and fruits, handwritten notes, skyscrapers, music scores, and road patterns. And what about crowds of people? The tension between uniformity and diversity, order and disorder, symmetry and asymmetry fascinates me. It is always a great surprise to see how one element can change the entire whole. On the surface, each part may seem similar to the others, but minimal shifts in color, shape, material, or rhythm can lead to great variation and movement.

I am captivated by the regular irregularity found in forms of growth, swarms, flights, herds, schools, and masses. As I continue to ponder, I ask myself: When does a living organism act as an individual and when is it considered part of a collective? Does the collective function as an individual as well? How does a tree or leaf behave alone or in the company of many others? How can one maintain their uniqueness in a collaborative effort? As part of my research into the individual aspect of people in a multitude, my fascination also extends to their life stories, behaviors, interactions, and collaborations.

www.ftn-books.com has now the 1992 new years wish multiple by Kreymborg available.

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Diego Rivera (1886-1957)

Diego Rivera, a striking presence in the realm of 20th-century art, was an active painter for fifty years from 1907 to 1957. Of Mexican origin, Rivera spent a substantial portion of his adult life not only in Europe and the United States, but in his hometown of Mexico City as well. Initially experimenting with Cubism before fully embracing Post-Impressionism, his distinct style and outlook are unmistakably his own. An ardent Marxist, he was deeply involved in politics and joined the Mexican Communist Party in 1922. In the 1930s, he opened his home in Mexico City to Russian exile Leon Trotsky and his wife. Living in tumultuous times and leading a tempestuous existence, Diego Rivera, renowned for his Marxist beliefs, remains a countercultural icon of the 20th century. Along with Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara and a select group of contemporaries, he has forged a lasting legacy in the world of art, continuously sparking the imagination and intellect.

www.ftn-books.com has several boos on Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo now available.

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Frank van der Salm (1964)

biography & cv

Frank van der Salm (1964)
Delft, The Netherlands

After studying Photography and Audio/Visual Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1992), his main focus has been the Urban Landscape in it’s broadest sense. Over the years early influences of the New Topographics have evolved into a diverse oeuvre about the control of landscape, lack of space, infrastructural issues and the pressure on time and space in contemporary metropolises, reflecting our ways of communication and it’s speed.

Now that the world has developed from separate cities with local activities to one world of (re)-presentation, that is photography, video, film, internet, games, news and entertainment, reality exists in the images that represent it. Focussing on the specific vs. the ordinary and the original vs. the copy, his work elaborates on this medium’s dualistic position. Lately, attention has shifted to the new centers of economic power, resulting in projects next to but including the United States and Asia over the last couple of years. He’s also working with architects like OMA/Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron and MVRDV and on infrastructural and cultural projects like the Atelier HSL. Working with professionals in other media has influenced increasing diversity in approaching the contemporary environment. Thus, ‘The City’ is created with an ‘imaginery status’ of reality, where ‘real’ images are remporary. This ‘real’ is part of Sim-City: a micro-cosmos of urban existence. The city and it’s images are real and unreal at the same time. 

His photoworks and videos are published widely and have been exhibitied in galleries and museums around the world, among which the Biennale of Venice, Italy (2001), Haunch of Venison, Zürich, CH (2005), Akinci Gallery, Amsterdam, NL (2009), and the Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, NL. These works of art are collected around the world. 

www.ftn-books.com has currently the MULTIPLICITY publication by van der Salm available.

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Gerco de Ruiter (1961)

Gerco de Ruijter is a Rotterdam-based visual artist who delves into photography and film. In the late 1980s, he began utilizing unconventional tools such as kites, balloons, and fishing poles to capture images from a unique vantage point. In recent years, he has turned to Google Earth as a source, producing films like CROPS (2012) and Playground (2014). De Ruijter’s art pushes the boundaries of minimalism in presenting the landscape, yet managing to maintain its recognizability.

De Ruijter honed his craft at the Academy for Visual Arts in Rotterdam, graduating with distinction in 1993. His prolific career includes numerous solo and group exhibitions in the Netherlands and abroad, showcased in prestigious institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, and The Harnett Museum of Art in Richmond. His work holds a permanent place in several important private and public collections.

www.ftn-books.com has several de Ruiter titles now avaiable

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Paul van Osch

Tried to find info on this artist of whom i currently have a book available at www.ftn-books.com

This is all i found:

Teaching since 1994 with current responsibilities including:

Visual Arts Teacher “Discovery Factory”, groups 3 to 8, at H19, Oosterhout. and “Experiment Garden”, “Discover Your Talent”, at “New Veste”, Breda.
Artist in the classroom, various schools including autistic children and asylum-seeking children.
Combined Art Coordinator, St. Antoniusschool and Heydonk, Best. Groups 3 to 8.
Art Companions “Culture Canteen”, one-to-one project with a child from youth care.
Workshop Leader “The Joyfulness” and “JUZT”, A.Z.C. Gilze. (asylum-seeking children 6-12 years old).

and this is the book: edition of 500 copies / 2 available

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Geert Koevoets (1957)

Geert Koevoets resides and works in Tilburg, Netherlands. His oeuvre is showcased both nationally and internationally, with exhibitions held in Belgium, Germany, and France. Drawing inspiration from the catastrophic events of the First World War that transpired over a century ago, Koevoets’ work reflects the timeless nature of war. Yet, it is the unique landscape of this War that intrigues him the most; a narrow, elongated strip of land traversing through Europe. The opposing forces were often just meters away from each other, entrenched in the ground amid trenches, braving all weather conditions and constantly under threat of attack. This oppressive reality, with no hope of a resolution, epitomized the conflict. Koevoets finds inspiration for his narrative in the landscapes, field hospitals, cemeteries, and monuments of this War. A defining feature of this conflict was the vulnerable position of the soldiers, separated by a line of iron “pickets” (known as “varkensstaarten” or “pig’s tails”) and barbed wire. In his work, Koevoets translates this concept into NEON (red) and ARGON (blue) lights, symbolizing fragility, and utilizing light as a visual element in his sculptures. His titles often allude to the battlefields and stories that transpired there.

www.ftn-books.com has the small LIGHTENERGY publication now available.

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Brian Alfred (1974)

Brian Alfred is a multi-talented individual, noted for his prowess as an artist, podcaster, educator, and curator. Based in the vibrant city of Brooklyn, he has been showcasing his creations on an international scale for over two decades. Throughout his career, he has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Award, the esteemed NYFA Inspiration Award, and the highly coveted Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Having completed programs at top institutions such as Yale, Skowhegan, and Penn State, his work has been acquired by prominent collections, including the renowned Guggenheim Museum and the esteemed Whitney Museum.

As the host of SOUND & VISION, Brian Alfred adds yet another feather to his cap, with the podcast being hailed as one of the most prominent and respected in the realm of visual arts. With his wide range of talents and accomplishments, Brian Alfred continues to make a significant impact in the art world, both through his own creations and by inspiring others through his podcast.

www.ftn-books.com has the Haunch of Venison book on Alfred now available.

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Yves Velter (1967)

Yves Velter (born 1967 in Ostend, residing and working in Ostend) is a painter and creator of spatial objects. His pieces are interwoven by a thematic red thread. Existential questions and the psychological issues intertwined form the core content of his artistic production. The hushed characters in his work are based on real individuals who have been anonymized through partial abstraction in a timeless setting. They are placed in situations where they break through the reality and leave the impossibility of answering behind.

www.ftn-books.com has several Velter related publications now available.